Quotes About Listening

It occurs to me that our survival may depend upon our talking to one another.

Have you ever closed your eyes and listened to the sound of your own mother's voice?

A best friend is there for you when you're down. A best friend acknowledges your feelings, forgives your mistakes, and lets you be whomever you really are. A best friend listens to your truth without judging you, and tells you the truth even if you don't want to hear it. A best friend empowers you to be the person you want to be. You never have to pretend to be someone else when you're with your best friend.

You know the phrase 'Don't shoot the messenger'?" Edmondson says. "In fact, it's not enough to not shoot them. You have to hug the messenger and let them know how much you need that feedback. That way you can be sure that they feel safe enough to tell you the truth next time.

Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, who run a leadership consultancy, analyzed 3,492 participants in a manager development program and found that the most effective listeners do four things: 1. They interact in ways that make the other person feel safe and supported 2. They take a helping, cooperative stance 3. They occasionally ask questions that gently and constructively challenge old assumptions 4. They make occasional suggestions to open up alternative paths

In Conversation, Resist the Temptation to Reflexively Add Value: The most important part of creating vulnerability often resides not in what you say but in what you do not say. This means having the willpower to forgo easy opportunities to offer solutions and make suggestions. Skilled listeners do not interrupt with phrases like Hey, here's an idea or Let me tell you what worked for me in a similar situation because they understand that it's not about them.

One of the things I say most often is probably the simplest thing I say," says Givechi. " 'Say more about that.'

She's really listening, hearing what you said and asking what it means, digging deeper," says Nili Metuki, design researcher. "She doesn't let things stay unclear, even when they're uncomfortable. Especially when they're uncomfortable

What these healers all had in common was that they were brilliant listeners. They would sit down, take a long patient history, and really get to know their patients," Marci says. "They were all incredibly empathic people who were really good at connecting with people and forming trusting bonds. So that's when I realized that the interesting part wasn't the healing but the listening, and the relationship being formed.

Embrace the Messenger:

I made a list: Close physical proximity, often in circles Profuse amounts of eye contact Physical touch (handshakes, fist bumps, hugs) Lots of short, energetic exchanges (no long speeches) High levels of mixing; everyone talks to everyone Few interruptions Lots of questions Intensive, active listening Humor, laughter Small, attentive courtesies (thank-yous, opening doors, etc.) One more thing: I found that spending time inside these groups was almost physically addictive.

Close physical proximity, often in circles Profuse amounts of eye contact Physical touch (handshakes, fist bumps, hugs) Lots of short, energetic exchanges (no long speeches) High levels of mixing; everyone talks to everyone Few interruptions Lots of questions Intensive, active listening Humor, laughter Small, attentive courtesies (thank-yous, opening doors, etc.)

Great teachers focus on what the student is saying or doing," he says, "and are able, by being so focused and by their deep knowledge of the subject matter, to see and recognize the inarticulate stumbling, fumbling effort of the student who's reaching toward mastery, and then connect to them with a targeted message.

the most important moments in conversation happen when one person is actively, intently listening.

There's an accelerated change to the relationship that happens when you're able to really listen, to be incredibly present with the person.

There is as much wisdom in listening as there is in speaking - and that goes for all relationships, not just romantic ones.

There are half a billion people that listen to music online and the vast majority are doing so illegally. But if we bring those people over to the legal side and Spotify, what is going to happen is we are going to double the music industry and that will lead to more artists creating great new music.

The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: … The fundamental thing you have to do is turn off your BlackBerry, close your laptop, end your daydream and pay full attention to the person.

Never argue. To win an argument is to lose a sale.

In the new world of sales, being able to ask the right questions is more valuable than producing the right answers. Unfortunately, our schools often have the opposite emphasis. They teach us how to answer, but not how to ask.

Extraverts, in other words, often stumble over themselves. They can talk too much and listen too little, which dulls their understanding of others' perspectives. They can fail to strike the proper balance between asserting and holding back, which can be read as pushy and drive people away.*

Listening to the conversations of those nearby has a bad reputation. But we all do it, so we might as well make it worthwhile. Next time you're in a position to eavesdrop, listen carefully to what your targets are saying. Then imagine yourself as one of those people in that situation. What are you (that is, him or her) thinking and feeling at that moment? What emotions, if any, are coursing through your body? How did you end up in this particular place at this particular time?

McKinsey Global Institute estimates that the typical American hears or reads more than one hundred thousand words every day.

listen without listening for anything.